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Review and Study Guide for K. A. Holt's Redwood and Ponytail
A seventh-grade cheerleader's struggles with wanting to appear "normal" jeopardize a budding relationship.
by Ari Armstrong, Copyright © 2026
I read this book as part of my review of the books suppressed by Colorado's Elizabeth School District. (This book appears merely to have been challenged in the district, not removed from shelves. I decided to read it anyway, and I'm glad I did.) See the main document.
Redwood and Ponytail
K. A. Holt
Chronicle Books, 2019
Reading Notes
This is yet another perfectly lovely story that I thoroughly enjoyed and that I'll be pleased to read with my eleven-year-old son.
Holt tells the story through free-form verse, alternating between the perspectives of Tam and Kate (or Redwood and Ponytail), two seventh-grade girls. On one level, the book is about the girls' developing relationship (which is why some religious conservatives have objected to the book). But at a deeper level, the book is about Kate's struggle for self-acceptance in the face of her mother's desires for her and her own fears of not fitting in.
The book also contains an episode of arson (that thankfully does not result in much damage). Yet it seems clear that this is not why the book has been challenged (the arson is not mentioned in an ACLU brief); the controversy instead centers on the girls' romantic relationship.
Because the book is written in free verse, the formatting matters, and I'm glad I read it in print. Although the book is 420 pages long, the pages turn quickly because of the reduced word count per page. The whole thing is some 35,000 words.
Questions for Discussion and Review
1. Kate narrates, "Mom says / I can rule them all. / Just like she did. / Cheer captain. / Smartest student. / Biggest future" (p. 43). To what extent is Kate's mom trying to live vicariously through her daughter? Or is her mom obsessed with Kate's perfection for some other reason?
2. Compare and contrast the moms of Tam and Kate. What does each girl think of her own mom and of the other girl's mom? What does Kate mean when she narrates, "Tam's mom is a book / you can't judge by its cover / because she's wide open" (p. 118)? Could the two moms ever be friends?
3. Tam observes how Kate "rebuilds herself" (p. 91). What does that say about Kate, her resilience, and the limits of her resilience? What are the costs of having to rebuild yourself in this way?
4. Kate narrates that in her mascot costume "I can be whoever I want to be" (p. 95). Is Kate hiding in the costume or liberating herself through it?
5. Kate often is very conscious of others watching her, whether she's cheering, playing the mascot, doing what her mom wishes, running for school president, praising the members of a boy band, or even just eating lunch. When can performing a role get in the way of being true to yourself? Can performing a role ever be benign or even help someone discover who they really are?
6. Kate wonders "if I can get Mom's voice in my head / to just be quiet" (p. 102). What does this say about letting others write the script to our lives?
7. Tam takes pride in volleyball and thinks "I love what I do" (p. 103). How does the pride of accomplishment in doing something one loves differ from merely performing for others? Why does Tam want Kate to watch the game?
8. Why did Tam's mom frame a hole Tam punched in the wall (p. 123)?
9. How did Jill deal with her mother's overbearing personality? Why did that not move the girls' mom to be more understanding toward Kate, at least until the end? How does their mother's grief over being separated from her husband and her older daughter help explain her behavior?
10. Kate's mom asks about Tam, "Is this really the best friend / for you (p. 170)? Why does Kate's mom immediately dislike Tam? When (if ever) is a parent right to worry about their child's friends?
11. At one point Frankie advises Tam, "Let her [Kate] be" and "let her feel her feelings" (p. 198). When should you talk to someone and when should you give them space?
12. Kate admits her "boy-crazy switch" is "off" (pp. 230–1). What does that say about her developing understanding of herself?
13. Kate's boy-band poster, and the band itself, play a significant role in the story. Why does Kate put up the poster? What does it mean to her? Why does Kate eventually destroy it?
14. When Tam criticizes boy bands (p. 236), to what degree is she just being jealous (p. 243) and to what degree does she really believe her criticisms?
15. Jill encourages Kate to tell their mom about her feelings for Tam. Was this good advice? (See pp. 208, 287, 289.)
16. When Kate tells her mom she's gay, her mom replies, "You're not gay, Katherine" (p. 269). Why does she reply that way? What is she afraid of?
17. Kate admits, "I'm afraid / of being different" (p. 295). Why does she have this fear? Does it have any basis? (See p. 389.) Is such a fear ever warranted?
18. Why does Kate enter the school president race? Why does Tam enter it (p. 323)?
19. Frankie tells Tam about her life (pp. 327–330). What does this story tell Tam about Kate? Do you think Holt is trying to fill the role of Frankie for some of her readers?
20. Why does Kate respond so strongly to the chicken-head mascot (p. 342)?
21. To beat Kate in the school president contest, Tam promises the students free sodas and other perks, knowing full well she cannot deliver (p. 349). Why does the strategy work? What does this suggest about elections, popularity, and the promises candidates make?
22. What role do the bracelet and the pinkie-holds play in the girls' relationship, and how does Holt use them to tie the story together?
23. The novel ends with Alex/Alyx/Alexx saying, "There's no such thing as normal. . . . love is love" (pp. 417–8). What does the novel mean by "normal?" Do you agree?
24. Why does Holt end with Alex/Alyx/Alexx rather than with Tam or Kate? What role does this voice play throughout the novel?
See also the publisher's review questions.